at random

I was knitting a simple scarf in the staff room at lunchtime today, listening to "Divinities" by Ian Anderson on my little MP3 player, and feeling less anxious than I've felt (in real life) for days. I thought I saw someone else in the room when I pulled some yarn from the hank, but I'm so nearsighted... A few minutes later, I pulled the yarn again, and saw that someone was there: a friend, just sitting across the room and looking at me. I turned off the music, took off the earphones, and looked back. He sighed. "I was watching you knit because you reminded me of my aunt," he said. "She used to crochet for hours..."

I guess I'm still thinking about it (but I'm not sure) because it never would occur to me that my presence would calm anyone else, especially when I'm this close to flying to pieces. When I'm writing down today's things to be grateful for, though, this will make the list.

All of my winter holiday packages are on their way. I indulged myself by sending out a couple of children's books, including The Mitten by Jan Brett, which is delightful in every possible way, from the really great story to the fanciful yet accurate drawings of animals. If you have children, or if children visit, or if you just love the world, you'll find much to love at her website.

(I have a few of her books at home with me, including Comet's Nine Lives, which is about a cat and lighthouses, two of my favorite things.)

Speaking of cats -- Chris from Stumbling Over Chaos linked to Bridget's post, Cats' Letters to Santa ? How cool is that?

And speaking of packages, I sent very few this year because I fell way behind in the paltry knitting plans I had, and because I wanted to put as much financial energy (i.e., money) into the hands of Heifer International that I could. My packages are missing something, on purpose: wrapping paper. No more wrapping paper for me. I'd rather use my share of paper for letters, journals, and books, than for a pile of pretty paper that will be discarded. (And, I'm the world's worst wrapper.)